With Scream 7 now wrapped and in post-production under Kevin Williamson’s direction, you’d think the storm that flooded its initial production had finally passed. But like Michael Myers, the controversy keeps coming back for one last scare.

More than a year after the behind-the-scenes turmoil — which included the removal of Radio Silence, the departures of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in November 2023, and Christopher Landon’s exit the following month — the horror hasn’t stopped.

This week, two key names returned to the spotlight: Jenna Ortega and Christopher Landon, both currently promoting separate projects (Death of a Unicorn and Drop, respectively). And both felt compelled to set the record straight.

Let’s break it down.

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling.”

In a new interview with The Cut, Ortega addressed her much-publicized departure from Scream 7 for the first time — and directly shut down the long-circulated narrative that she left due to scheduling conflicts with Wednesday or rumored salary disputes.

“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” she said.

“The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If Scream 7 wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.”

“We got exited.”

Back in March 2024, while promoting Abigail, directors Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Melissa Barrera shared their own version of events with The Hollywood Reporter.

Their exit wasn’t voluntary — Spyglass reportedly wanted Scream 7 to move into production immediately after Scream VI, while the duo wanted to focus on Abigail. The result?

“We got exited,” said Gillett.

“We’ll be sad that there’s not going to be an end to the Sam Carpenter story, but in our minds, we designed Scream VI so that the story feels complete.”

They also expressed solidarity with Christopher Landon, who stepped in briefly, in August 2023, before ultimately leaving the project as well.

“They came for me, knives out.”

While promoting Drop, director Christopher Landon offered a detailed account of his brief involvement with Scream 7 in a recent interview with Variety. He also addressed the broader fallout surrounding the film’s turbulent development — particularly in relation to his perceived involvement in decisions he says were not his to make.

Landon confirmed that Jenna Ortega had already exited the project by the time he joined, citing her loyalty to original directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

“That was one of the first things they told me, right when I signed on,” Landon said. “And I was like, ‘Oh shit, really?’ So that was a bit of a shock to me.”

“And so at that time we were figuring out, how do we make another movie without her? How do we manage that?”

He expressed empathy toward Ortega’s decision, noting that actors often feel creatively aligned with specific filmmakers.

“I do think that sometimes when you’re an actor, it’d be like Jessica Rothe finding out that we’re making a third [“Happy Death Day”], but I’m not directing it. I think we all get very attached to the people that we work with and that we sort of align ourselves with creatively.”

But it was the public reaction to Melissa Barrera’s firing that brought Landon into the harshest spotlight — despite having no role in the decision.

“I did not fire her,” he stated. “A lot of people think I had something to do with it, and it was not my doing. I had no control of the situation at all.”

“I think in the absence of people understanding how Hollywood works and what the hierarchy is, the fans were like, ‘That’s the guy.’ And so they came for me, knives out.”

The backlash escalated well beyond online criticism. Landon revealed he received violent threats, including messages directed at his children.

“I got messages saying, ‘I’m going to find your kids, and I’m going to kill them because you support child murder.’”

The threats were taken seriously, prompting studio security and federal authorities, including the FBI, to open an investigation.

Landon’s experience is a sobering reminder of how misdirected outrage can cross a line, with very real consequences for those involved behind the scenes.

What Now?

What we do know is this: Scream 7 is complete. Neve Campbell is back. Kevin Williamson is directing. And the film is shifting its focus once again to Sidney Prescott.

But with each press tour reigniting the conversation, the question remains: when will the movie be able to speak for itself?

It seems that Ghostface isn’t the only one in this franchise who leaves scars behind.